Committee on Public Information | Purpose, History & Impact | Study.com (2024)

The Committee on Public Information was created to instill positive opinions of U.S. involvement in World War 1 (WW1). Public sentiment toward involvement in World War 1 was mixed, with a notable portion of the population supporting a policy of neutrality for a variety of reasons. Neutrality had long been the traditional foreign policy of the United States dating back to the Washington administration, so persuading public opinion was not only vital to unifying American society but to the war effort itself on the home front. The U.S. economy underwent a systematic mobilization to provide supplies that allowed the U.S. to achieve military success in Europe. This effort was a colossal undertaking affecting virtually every American and was portrayed as patriotic due to the efforts of the CPI. The success of the United States military in WW1 depended greatly on the war effort at home, which was strongly motivated by the actions of the Creel Committee. The CPI also engaged in propaganda efforts abroad to lessen support for Germany.

The Committee on Public Information was formed in April 1917 through Executive Order 2594, which was enacted by President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson appointed George Creel as the chairman of the committee (hence, the agency was referred to as the Creel Committee). Creel was a journalist with the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News and was also the former police commissioner of Denver. Creel proposed using propaganda to elicit positive opinions and encourage patriotism within the populace, in contrast to using censorship to quell any opinions against the war. The committee focused on reaching every American with patriotic messaging that would encourage individuals to contribute to the war effort.

George Creel was appointed as the head of the Committee on Public Information in 1917 by Woodrow Wilson. Creel brought journalism and political experience from past careers as a journalist and police commissioner.

In forming the committee, Creel enlisted the services of communication talent that included advertisers, graphic artists, and authors. The agency had over twenty bureaus and divisions, as well as offices in nine foreign nations. Divisions were created to oversee specific forms of communication such as news, films, and pictorials. Notable artists involved in the efforts of the CPI in WW1 included notable illustrator Charles Dana Gibson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Booth Tarkington, and distinguished newspaper editor William Allen White.

The Creel Committee produced numerous propaganda materials that involved all media forms of the era. Their messages aimed at explaining the history of the Great War, why it was essential that the United became involved, as well as how those on the home front could help. The campaign encouraged United States citizens to buy Liberty Bonds, register for the draft, and ration food. The CPI also aided in the recruitment of workers for munition jobs.

The agency created and distributed countless advertisem*nts in newspapers and magazines across the United States. The CPI even produced a daily newspaper, the Official Bulletin, which was carried in newspaper stands, post offices, and government offices. The agency also illustrated numerous posters that could be seen where all goods were sold across the nation. These colorful posters famously depicted the German military in a villainous tone. Historians were also incorporated to publish pro-American rhetoric and narratives of German militarism.

In addition to written forms of messaging, the CPI utilized radio, the telegraph, and films to broadcast its messages. The CPI produced three films during the war that were shown in movie theaters across the country; it also prohibited the export of any film that demonstrated a negative portrayal of American culture. Public exhibitions were held in churches, lodges, and schools, and during intermission at movie theaters. These exhibitions included lectures from public speakers who were known as four-minute men, as their usual speech length was four minutes. A network of 75,000 four-minute men was established to deliver these messages throughout the war.

Under the CPI, over 75,000 speakers gave 4-minute speeches in various venues across the nation. Historians estimate that every American heard one of these speeches at some point from 1917 to 1919.

The Committee on Public Information was successful in shifting opinions about U.S. involvement in World War 1. United States intervention, combined with successful embargos and failed Germain offensives, helped drive Germany to officially surrender to the Allies on November 11, 1918. Following the end of the war, the CPI was officially abolished by Woodrow Wilson in August 1919. The Creel Committee was not remembered fondly as it was accused of suppressing free speech and cultivating a culture of fear around the war. The CPI was thought of as an organization that manipulated the population into believing the situation in Europe was much direr than it was. When the U.S. declared war on the Axis Powers and entered World War 2 in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the mistakes committed by the CPI as a precursor when he established the Office of War Information (OWI).

The CPI accomplished its goal of unifying American citizens behind the war effort. However, after the war, the CPI was often viewed as an overreach of government power.

The Committee on Public Information was an independent agency of the United States government that functioned from 1917 to 1919 and was regarded as the first instance of the U.S. government conducting a large-scale propaganda campaign. The campaign focused on portraying U.S. involvement in World War 1 as not only positive but essential for the future of democracy. The agency also elicited those on the home front to cooperate in activities such as buying Liberty Bonds, registering for the draft, and rationing food, all of which were vital to the war effort. The CPI also aided in the recruitment of workers for munition jobs.

The CPI was established in 1917 through Executive Order 2594, enacted by Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson appointed George Creel as the chairman of the CPI, who committed the agency to instilling "positive values" and encouraging patriotism. Creel implemented several propaganda activities throughout the war, including the production of newspapers, advertisem*nts, films, and public speeches. Public demonstrations were typically delivered by four-minute men, who spoke at a variety of venues for four minutes. While the mission of the CPI was successful, following the conclusion of World War 1, the agency was disbanded and viewed in a negative light due to its selective messaging and fear-mongering. The errors of the CPI later served as the blueprint for the Office of War Information (OWI), which coordinated propaganda efforts within the United States during World War 2.